District Health Department here to close

By Rupert Howell
The Northwest Public Health District I office in Batesville located in the Harmon Industrial Complex will close, but Panola County’s Health Department located in Highway 51 S in Batesville will remain open.
Panola Partnership Director Joe Azar has been in touch with local members of the State Legislature as well as the State Health Officer and said Monday minimal services will be cut at the county office.
But the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) news release stated the supervision of many county-level programs – immunizations, tuberculosis control, epidemiology, disease intervention, and emergency preparedness – will be centralized to relieve some of the burden in the field.
Azar explained Thursday that he understands the cuts include seasonal vaccinations only instead of year-round vaccinations and that maternity services would be limited to home bound or special service patients.
The MSDH announced in a news release the agency reorganization will greatly reduce administrative costs without affecting services delivered to the public.  Currently organized into nine public health districts, the agency will shift to a three-region model effective July 1. Regional offices will be located in Tupelo, Jackson, and Biloxi.
Azar said he has been assured that no one will be without a job, but couldn’t say exactly how many will be reassigned or where the location of their reassignment will be.
“By closing two-thirds of our district offices, we’re immediately saving $1.5 million in administrative overhead,” said MSDH State Health Officer Dr. Mary Currier. “We have reduced district level leadership and our overall agency workforce through retirements, resignations and reassignments. We have also realigned federal funds to support our clinic and district operations; therefore no layoffs within county clinics and district offices are anticipated at this time,” the DHS news release states.
Dr. Currier said in the news release that the goal of the reorganization is to reduce overhead and streamline operations while maintaining core public health services in the state and minimizing the impact on service delivery.
“Adapting to changes in budget and revenue has been a fluid process. We are continually working hard to determine where more cuts can be made, if needed, and we will continue to monitor and evaluate our programs and services throughout the state,” she said. “We are now and always will be committed to protecting and promoting the health of all Mississippians.”